Convert Files between CHM and PDF

What is CHM? Well, CHM is short for Compiled Help Manual. It is a type based on HTML, and developed by Microsoft in 1998, to replace the previous WinHelp. Many eBooks also apply CHM as the format. PDF is undoubtedly the main format in our daily use. It is commonly applied in many industries, such as business, education, building, etc. Sometimes, we may need to convert files between CHM and PDF. So in this article, I collected several ways which can help you convert CHM to PDF, or convert PDF to CHM with ease.

Part-1: Convert Compiled help Files to PDF Format

Why convert CHM to PDF?

CHM is a common help file format. Sometimes we need to extract contents from CHM for editing, but some CHM files don't allow us to copy or edit. In fact, we can convert CHM files into other formats, then it will become easy to do extraction or editing task. Or, if you get a CHM eBook, you may want to convert CHM to PDF, because PDF has more functions which CHM has no, such as page zoom, save the picture, comments, insert label, and so on.

Where to get CHM to PDF converter freeware?

In the Internet, there are many sites which allows you to convert CHM files into PDF online, such as zamzar.com, convertfiles.com, online-convert.com. But the online way often has file size limit. If you have large files to be converted, you'd better use desktop program which has no file size limitation and supports batch conversion. I myself use Calibre, which is a well-known program in eBook industry. It applies for Windows and Mac. In my previous article, I've introduced the usage of Calibre step by step: How to convert PDB to ePub.

Part-2: Convert Adobe PDF to CHM Files

There are also some people who need the converse conversion: PDF to CHM. Maybe because the need of PDF to CHM conversion is less than CHM to PDF, there are fewer PDF to CHM conversion services or free programs. I searched for the Internet but no totally free ways. ABC Amber PDF Converter has the CHM output, but it is not totally free, and needs to pay for the full version.